Gotta Love the Long Weekend!

Since Canada Day fell on a Saturday, most people got Monday off. We took advantage of this by having a dinner guest on Sunday (also because the kids didn't have soccer, so we could have dinner at a regular hour), and then going to the beach on Monday.

On Sunday, we did lunch at the in-laws, and then Weasley came over around 3:30 for a barbeque and a few drinks. Corwin and Clara were busy playing on the driveway with bikes and wagons. Weasley was a little concerned about his car! Anyway, I blended up some pina coladas with dark rum, and we chatted while I made the barbeque sauce. On the menu: root beer braised ribs with drive-in barbeque sauce, firecracker rice, and a salad with blueberries, pecans, blue cheese, and an apple-balsamic dressing. There was a pretty good breeze blowing, but the vine-covered pergola helped to deflect it, so we were able to eat on the deck. Dessert was the rest of Friday's tiramisu (it was a huge pan!). Shortly after dinner, Hubby bathed the kids, and then they watched a bit of a DVD before bed. Poor Weasley - he's 30, single, and gay. And he was invited to watch Mighty Machines "In the Forest" with Corwin. Watching with the kids was fine (Clara on one side, Corwin on the other), but the look of horror on his face at the viewing selection was priceless!!! I could barely contain my mirth - God knows I've been forced to watch ALL of the Mighty Machines DVD's. . . over and over and over. . .

Once the kids went to bed, we lit all the lanterns and the fairy lights and sat outside, enjoying the evening. It was nice that Hubby and Weasley finally got to know each other a bit - Weasley actually confessed to me that he had been a bit nervous about that part of the evening. Obviously there was nothing to worry about, and we'll do it again soon (maybe not the Mighty Machines part, though!)

On Monday, we headed to a beach near the Thousand Islands, on the St Lawrence River. It was a gorgeous day, and Hubby's two normal sisters (Aunt Kat - 8 years older than Hubby & Aunt Kit - 10 years older than Hubby), his 13 year old nephew (Dude), and Aunt Kat's boyfriend (Frogman) joined us. It was about an hour's drive, but the kids were so excited that the time passed quickly. Corwin kept asking if Aunt Kat was speeding, Clara kept insisting that she wasn't. I just asked "what do you think?", not commenting on the fact that we were speeding, too! Once we got there, we scored a site with some shade under a tree, 3 picnic tables on the grass, and beach access just below the retaining wall. It was a small part of beach, protected by rocks, and we had it almost to ourselves. Once we got set up, Clara could barely wait to change into her bathing suit and get into the water. Strangely, Corwin was a little bit reluctant. I thought it was because there was some seaweed in the waves lapping the shore, so Hubby carried him over. Corwin played for a bit, but then was really cold. Also unusual - this is a kid who is hot in the winter, who sweats in his snowsuit. I got him into a sweatshirt, and he sat on a chair on the beach, trying to warm up.

Around noon, we broke out our picnic lunch. We had all brought sandwiches and fruit and veggies to share. Corwin ate a bit, but said he wasn't really hungry and his tummy was sore. He also looked really tired, so I suggested that he lay down for a nap. I knew he wasn't joking when he took me up on it. I laid out a fleece blanket, and covered him up, with a towel for a pillow. He chilled out for a bit, and then he came back to the beach when we finished lunch. He conked out in Aunt Kat's chair for about an hour. When he woke up, he was more himself, chatting and playing in the sand and the water. During this time, Clara was hanging out with Aunt Kit, swimming and splashing and looking for little freshwater shells. She, Aunt Kit, and Dude also played football for a while. Clara was pretty excited that she managed to catch the ball several times. We headed out shortly after 4, and I set up the portable DVD for the ride home. Corwin watched Madagascar, and Clara fell asleep for a while (so did I - Hubby was driving, so I dozed!).

Within 10 minutes of pulling into our driveway, the sky was almost black and it was absolutely pouring rain. It didn't last, but we ended up giving the kids early baths and getting a light dinner ready. We read several books, then it was bedtime. Of course, since both of them had slept during the day, they ended up falling asleep much later than usual (even though they were in bed at their regular time). I was worried that they would sleep in - normally a desirable activity, but not this week because they have yoga camp with Lola in the mornings. Thankfully, they got up at a reasonable hour, and we made it to camp on time (okay, about 3 minutes late!). Wow - two and a half hours alone! Woo hoo!!